Foster Griffin (7-2, 3.63) draws Robbie Ray (4-6, 4.12) in a lefty-lefty matinee at Oracle Park, first pitch 2:45 PM CT. The market can't separate them — Pinnacle has it -105/-103, a true coin flip — and the total has crept from o8.5 (-120) down to -101 as the juice slid toward the Under.
Griffin is the story you didn't see coming. He's 30, never got a real rotation look until this year, and the Nationals are 10-3 in his 13 starts. Last time out he gave Arizona 5 innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball on just 62 pitches. Ray, meanwhile, has been a different guy at home — a sub-3 ERA over 6 starts in San Francisco — but he walked 5 in his last outing against the Cubs and has been grinding since the start of May.
Washington has flipped this series with offense the Giants didn't see coming. The Nats hung 4 on Monday and 6 last night, and they're rolling in at 4-1 over their last 5 — including a 14-1 thumping of Arizona last week. San Francisco is 27-41 and has now dropped 3 of 5, with both losses in this series at home where they're supposed to make their living.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Irvin (shoulder) remains shut down from throwing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was sent to the FCL Nationals on Friday to begin a rehab assignment.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) threw a simulated game at Nationals Park ahead of Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — The Nationals transferred Kranick (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
- 10-Day-ILHeliot Ramos LF — Ramos (quadriceps) will begin a hitting progression at the Giants' spring training complex in Arizona on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader CF — Bader isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Colorado, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Gage RP — The Giants placed Gage on the 15-day injured list with knee inflammation Wednesday, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Mahle SP — The Giants placed Mahle on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Wednesday, due to a left hamstring strain, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILJason Foley RP — Foley was pulled off his rehab assignment after experiencing right shoulder fatigue, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
- 60-Day-ILJoel Peguero RP — The Giants placed Peguero on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a left hamstring strain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 60-Day-ILJared Oliva CF — Oliva (wrist) started at designated hitter and went 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Triple-A Sacramento's 6-4 loss to Reno on Saturday.
- 60-Day-ILReiver Sanmartin RP — Sanmartin (hip) tossed a scoreless inning in Triple-A Sacramento's 11-6 win over Sugar Land on Tuesday.
The Giants' injury list reads like a depth chart. Tyler Mahle is on the shelf with a hamstring, Heliot Ramos is rehabbing a quad, Harrison Bader is out, and the bullpen is missing Jason Foley, Randy Rodriguez, Hayden Birdsong and Jose Butto. That's a lot of arms and bats to be without when you're already 14 games under .500.
One wrinkle worth noting: Washington hitters are just 6-for-31 lifetime against Ray. That's the lever San Francisco has — get Ray into the 6th with the lead and the bullpen mess matters less. If Griffin keeps pumping strikes the way he has all year, the Nats walk out of Oracle with a sweep and a road trip to remember.